 Ready for some more climbing this weekend! Just the other week I wrote about taking a break with running. (It's not you running, it me. My knees can't take your power and strength. We can be friends?) Never one to go "Whoa is me, life it hard. WAH WAH WAH!?" I made a nice little contingency plan. HUZZAH, take that injuries. I know you all must be wondering, whatever did a defenseless Teeny do? Well, my lovely readers, I visited my local cycle-ria and bought a bike! That's right I am now the proud mother of a beautiful black and purple mountain bike. (And a nice helmet. I KNOW I'm clumsy) So this weekend I took my pretty new friend for a joy ride. 7.5 miles in, I was hooked. The breeze, scenery and crisp air was just divine. And the best thing: LOW IMACT CARDIO. And then it hit me: wait it gets better. You have new adventures on the horizon!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 Look at my pretty Specialized Mountain Bike. Not only do I have a new bike to take off roading with my friends but ...... I'M GOING ON A CLIMBING TRIP IN 4 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (In case you can't tell I'm mildly to moderately excited) So I have 2 things to look forward to:1. Bukoos of Future Adventures with my new bike 2. A glorious climbing trip in Foster Falls, TN I love having active adventures to look forward to. And just to ensure I'm in tip top shape/health for both I took the advice of my Papa Perez AND took Sunday off from any physical activity. There's nothing like having a new bike for many adventures and a trip right around the river bend. Thanks life! What adventures do you have on the horizon?
 I'm so ready for climb time! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! (That's a squeal of excitement) Today, I feel great. Could it be due to the fact I climbed my FACE off this past weekend and engaged in a glorious Yoga Session on Monday? YES!!!! It feels great to be back into the climbing swing of things. Huzzah! And, I'm going to enjoy the week rounded out with....wait for it.......more CLIMBING! I know it's not your idea of a typical week but it's mine! Besides, I need to be in tip top shape for my trip to Foster Falls in 2 weeks! Yeah! (Can you tell I'm excited due to the excess of exclamation points?) There's something about setting a tangible goal (Climbing a 5.10 at Foster Falls), working towards it (climbing 3 days a week) and achieving it (Obviously crushing a 5.10 at Foster Falls) that's soooooo rewarding. This week I URGE you to: -Set a goal for yourself (It helps to sign up for something: a race, trip or grab a partner) -Make a plan -Enjoy your sweet victory Have a great Tuesday, fill it with fun and PICK THAT GOAL! I know I'll relish training towards mine. What goal are you setting and training for?? (Writing about it makes you accountable!)
 This is me on my very first outdoor trip! Now that I have completed GORUCK, I'm left with this void. Oh, poor little Teeny, nothing to train for. If only I had something to plan/look forward to. OH WAIT, I must have forgotten! You see I don't need to miss the rock anymore. Why? Well, I have scheduled a climbing trip to Foster Falls, TN May 18th!
Yes, another 4 days of camping, lead and sport climbing. To say that I'm thoroughly thrilled about this would be an understatement. And since I'm not training for the riduclously radical GORUCK, I can focus on improving my climbing. Oh life, you take care of a Teeny soooo well. Now, this wouldn't be a post about a trip/event if I didn't have a training plan!
 Here I am tackling a vicious wall! Foster Falls Training Plan
-Climb 3 days a week, lead climbing at LEAST once each time I climb -Attend yoga 1 day a week to keep nice and limber -Run/bike 3 days a week to keep my endurance I'm pretty thrilled about this trip. And after completing GORUCK, I've proven to myself that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. That being said, I will no longer "fear" Lead Climbing. Actually, it should fear me. I'm rather motivated and ready to kick some rock! I need to take a week off climbing this week to fully recover from GORUCK but next week, be ready Teeny; it's training time! Do you plan back to back fun things to look forward to? You should!
 This was the first real route I climbed. I was very pleased to be sitting. Ah, I have returned bruised, scratched, sore and satisfied. Obviously, it was a successful bouldering trip to Horse Pens 40.
We made it back this morning at a nice and early 1:30 AM. Though I'm tired beyond all reason, I keep thinking about climbing, improving my technique and new routes to try. Oh silly climbing, you are an addicting friend!!
Well, enough of my babble. If you peak below, I have a nice little photo journey so you can experience a great bouldering trip too. (But you're lucky enough to enjoy it without the bruising and loss of feeling on the fingertips!)
 When we arrived bright and early, we were greeted by these pretty guys who were just waiting for us to climb on them!  With crash pads in tow, it was time to climb!!!  This route here was a doozy. I eventually made it up the boulder with this lovely heel hook. Now, I have the scrapes to prove it!  This wall was nice and fun to climb. Please ignore the peeping tights. It was VERY cold for this Florida gal so layering was imperative.  And here's another shot of me right before I used my brute strength to pull up! YEAH!  After completing routes, a happy thumbs up was ALWAYS encouraged. After topping out on those sloppers, it was a well deserved. Besides, who doesn't like a good thumbs up!  Sometimes when you're a very early riser, you wander to Lookout Point at 5:00 AM to watch the sunrise.  Lookout Point was quite a looker! See that pretty moon? Getting up early does have its benefits.  When you're up at 5:00 AM, taking self portraits can be difficult but very doable.  The sun peaking through made my early mornings well worth it!  After climbing a few routes, on the last day we ran around and explored caves. What a way to end the trip!  I loved climbing this wall!! I'm ready for more. Overall, I had way too much fun. I climbed, camped, hung out with great people, frolicked about the park, played with horses AND had a blasty blast. At the end of the day, I climbed SO much harder than I even imagined. I mean, the first real route I completed was the guy to your right! *Nudges head to right photograph.* Yup, I climbed that guy and even harder routes! My initial plan worked and I couldn't have asked for a better trip. Now I have to wait till my body recovers so I can climb more. Oh, and plan my next trip. Hmm....decisions....decisions..... Where should I go for my next climbing trip?
 Soon, I'll be leaving my precious rope behind! "It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, 'Always do what you are afraid to do.' ” Ralph Waldo Emerson
After stumbling upon this quote the other day, I knew I was in for it. "Always do what you are afraid to do." DAMMIT! Recently, I've adopted the mindset that I'm going to try new things even if they scare me. In the past, I'd allow fear to derail me from accomplishing a myriad of the goals I'd set for myself. Well, not anymore. And conveniently enough, not days after shying away from something that scared me did I see this quote. CURSES! You see, I've been climbing for quite some time. However, there is a type of climbing that scares me: bouldering. I don't know why, but it does. Perhaps it's because it challenges me (requires more strength than endurance) or the fact that there are no ropes holding me up.
 I'll be doing some climbing like this in AL. Knowing that bouldering mildly scares me, I've managed to avoid it for the past year. Well, not anymore Perez. The other day, I was approached about going on an outdoor climbing trip to Horsepens, AL. The kicker? It's ALL bouldering! AHHHHH! So, after a year of avoiding bouldering, I'm now running towards it full force. And guess what? On Saturday, I spent 2 hours bouldering AND failing. But, I did NOT allow fear to stop me. Is there some activity or class that scares you to death? Here's what you should do: Scared?
-Sign up for something down the road that MAKES you try "feared task" -Grab friend's to join you -Make an action plan -Set yourself up for success. Don't choose insurmountable goals. Pick things within your grasp that also challenge -Say really uplifting things to yourself before/during and after embarking on scary task -Do it anyway Guess what I'll be doing?
-Bouldering 2 times a week with friends -Going on an outdoor climbing trip March 9-11th in Horsepens AL -Saying to myself "I love bouldering" the entire time! -Bouldering regardless of being terrified! Take THAT fear! Now, it's your turn. Your goal? Do something that scares you. Remember, our dear friend Emerson knows a thing or two. It's like he's famous or something! What will you tackle that seems scary to you?
It's Friday, (In case you were unaware) and I'm mildy excited about my new plan.
On this day, I have declared all Friday's "Fearless Fridays." Every time this glorious day occurs, I will have a fear I overcame to share OR face one on this day. What brought this on? Well last night, I pushed myself and surpassed my fear of Lead Climbing. What is Lead climbing? Take a peak:  I'll be doing more of this with ease! Yes, so needless to say, I was a little afraid of this type of climbing. (Actually, panicky) Now, it has nothing to do with ability or knowledge, just fear. Last night, I decided I was officially and completely done with fear taking over my life. How did I punch fear in the face? How to Pimp Slap Fear- Learn about others overcoming your fear. Knowing that others went through what you did AND beat it is a nice ego boost. I read about other Climbers being extreme with Chick's Climbing.
- .Educate yourself on the topic of your fear. Knowledge is power. :) With Lead Climbing, I was SO afraid. BUT, I found if I educated myself on the proper way to fall, best gear and techniques, it wasn't so bad.
- Have a partner to help push you through. Someone to talk you off the crazy train is always beneficial. My climbing partner is always yelling positive statements to help.
- Reason your way out of it. Logicially, I knew I could do it, I was just scared. Now I remind myself "I follow all the proper safety techniques, am super safe, have a trustworthy belayer AND took a Lead Class. I got this."
- Speak the way you WANT to feel about it. Though I was a Class A Chicken, I told myself the entire time I was climbing how I wanted to feel. "You love this. It's so easy. You can do it." People made fun of my fake confidence, but it SO got me through it!
Needless to say, this Friday is SUPER AWESOME! And guess what? Tomorrow morning, I'm going to show lead climbing who isn't afraid. Eat it wall, I'm not going to fall! Any fears you plan to spank this weekend or dare I say, Friday?
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